11 Best Movie Private Plates

28/07/2019

Did you know the most expensive plate ever listed in the world cost around £15,000,000? The price tag was on the F1 number plate owned by Afzal Kahn, who was once dubbed the king of customisation.

There are several ridiculous license plates that aren’t as pricey as this one, though. And as if we didn’t have enough in the real world, the cinema universe has its fair share of iconic plates, too.

Can you guess which movies do these belong to? Read on and learn more about the best movie private plates out there.

1. BAT 1

As you would have guessed, it was Gotham City that issued this BAT 1 plate.

This belonged to Adam West's Batman in the 1966 movie adaptation of the superhero comics book. It was the first full-length theatrical adaptation of the comics, featuring actors and actresses from the television series that ended a couple of months before its release.

Due to the history surrounding it, it’s one of the most sought after movie license plates. It's one of the most expensive, too. It costs around £27,000.

2. ECTO 1

Ghostbusters easily has one of the most popular movie private plates out there. The iconic car sported the license plate ECTO 1. It was the name of the vehicle they used for their ghost hunting. It was the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance limo named Ecto-1.

It became one of the symbols of the Ghostbusters franchise. Although it underwent several upgrades and name changes in the movies, the first one was still the most remembered. At later points, they changed its name to Ecto-1a and Ecto-1b.

3. BEATNGU

At first glance, you would read this number plate as “beating you." In the context of the movie Jeepers Creepers, though, it has a different meaning.

You’ll see this license plate on a beaten-down truck of the antagonist – the Creeper. It’s a demon who eats body parts and organs to replace his own, which may be old or damaged.

In that context, the plate would make more sense if you read it as “be eating you.”

4. DEV IL

Here’s another devil, although by name only. The DEV IL license plate’s owner is Cruella de Vil. She was the main antagonist in the live-action movie 101 Dalmatians.

She drove a black and white car, the model of which varies across all the films in the franchise. In the 1996 film and its 2000 sequel, she had a modified Panther de Ville.

In all the live-action iterations of 101 Dalmatians, though, the plate is consistent. It all reads DEV IL, which is a play on her name.

5. FAB 1

FAB 1 is also on the list of the most expensive TV plates, having a value of £117,473. It was from the sci-fi television series Thunderbirds.

Its popularity is thanks to the iconic pink, six-wheeled car in the series belonging to Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward. It was a modified Rolls-Royce, which was only fitting for the character.

6. OUTATIME

Speaking of classic iconic cars, the most famous of them all might be the DeLorean. It wasn't an actual car but a time machine made by Doc Brown.

It had a vanity plate that reads OUTATIME, which was a deliberate anomaly on their part. California plates have a maximum number of seven characters.

At some point, the license plate changed to a barcode. This was when Doc Brown returned from 2015, suggesting that we’re behind the times and we should all be having barcode license plates by now.

7. 007 JB

Of course, who could leave out James Bond’s iconic plate number – 007 JB.

In the list of the most expensive plates, you’ll see this come second at £128,000. The third is also from the James Bond franchise, belonging to Auric Goldfinger’s black and yellow Rolls Royce Phantom III. It came in at £127,000.

It may not have been smart to put your code number and your initials, especially if you’re a spy for the Secret Intelligence Service called MI6, but Bond has been surviving well so far.

8. SWINGER

As another member of the conspicuous spies club, Austin Powers made sure his vanity plate represents his advocacy of free love. This explains the SWINGER plate on his car. It was a 1961-Jaguar-E-Type, which he also called the “Shaguar.”

He got another Shaguar later on. The 2001 Jaguar KX8 convertible had the license plate SWINGER2. There’s an SWNGR 3 at another point, then a GR8SHAG on Nigel Powers’ 2001 Mini Cooper.

9. STARK 11

Have you ever seen Stark 5, Stark 11, Stark 33, and numerous other plates shown on Tony Stark’s cars in all the Marvel movies he appears in?

Robert Downey Jr.’s character is quite the billionaire, so it’s understandable he has a huge collection of luxury cars like many real-world billionaires. To let people know it’s his, however, he named them all Stark and numbered them from 1.

Moviegoers who followed the Iron Man series would know he named his Iron Suits the same way. The one he built in the cave, he named Mark I, then the successor was Mark II, the third Mark III, and so on.

10. HIT N RUN

Kick-Ass 2 featured the Hit-Girl’s purple Ducati motorcycle, which had a plate that reads HIT N RUN. Given the violent nature of the superhero comedy film (and Chloe Grace Moretz’ character), the license plate was well put, in our opinion.

11. SPOIL’D ROTT’N I

The plate SPOIL’D ROTT’N I was only appropriate for the owner: Princess Vespa. She is the spoiled daughter of King Roland, who rules the planet Druidia.

The Druish Princess, as her love interest Lone Starr called her, acted like the stereotype. The biggest threat to her at the time was the nose job her kidnapper threatened her with that would undo her previous nose job.